


The Mage's Apprentice

by TwilightKnight17



Series: Shuake Week 2020 [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akira's not completely sure how to human, Alternate Universe - Ancient Magus' Bride, Auction, Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightKnight17/pseuds/TwilightKnight17
Summary: Unwanted and alone in the world, Goro Akechi takes his last resort: giving himself up to be sold at an auction. At least if someone purchases him, he’ll be useful in some way. But his new ‘owner’ ends up going against all of his expectations.
Series: Shuake Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017159
Comments: 7
Kudos: 66
Collections: ShuAke Week 2020





	The Mage's Apprentice

**Author's Note:**

> Nov. 16th, Day 1: **Hope** || ~~Stars~~ || **Fantasy**
> 
> In hindsight, I'm kind of glad I didn't do "stars", because I've seen a _lot_ of star art.

The chains, he was told, were a formality.

It was a strange melding of comfort and confinement. He’d been put into a cage, like the other lots for the auction, but it was tall enough to stand in, and there were cushions and a blanket. He was wearing a plain white smock that fell to mid-thigh, and loose white pants. If not for the leather cuffs around his wrists, hooked with sturdy chains to a ring on the front of the matching leather collar, he might have been able to relax.

But even knowing that this was his only remaining choice, he was still nervous.

A woman appeared outside of his cage, arms folded. “You’re up next, Akechi-kun,” she said, pulling out the key and opening up the door. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Goro pushed himself to his feet as best he could with his bound hands. “I’m fine, Sae-san. Besides, I fear that the auction house would be quite disappointed if I backed out now.” The smile on his face was forced despite his light tone, and he knew Sae could tell.

But she didn’t call him on it, just beckoned him to follow her. “I’ve set up an account in your name; I’ll get the details to you after the auction. As we agreed, an 80-20 split of the money. You’ll be set up well after this. Depending on who purchases you, of course.”

“Thank you for this, Sae-san,” Goro said brightly.

Sae stopped beside a cage with three gloomy-looking obariyons inside and turned back to face him. “This isn’t what I would want for you,” she said sternly. “I’m only helping you because you were insistent, and I didn’t want anyone to take advantage of you. I know the man who runs this place, and he would have taken the money for himself without a second thought.”

“If someone owns me, I won’t need money,” Goro pointed out, and Sae scoffed.

“That kind of thinking is exactly why I’m doing this.” She led him to the wings of the stage, then ruffled his hair. “I’ll be waiting afterwards with the paperwork. I hope that whoever bids on you doesn’t understand what they’re getting.”

Goro had no idea what that meant, but he swallowed his nerves and walked out onstage when the next lot was announced.

“Next up, lot 62… A truly rare find indeed! I have for you today a slay-vega, completely untouched. As the discerning sorcerer will know, such a thing is worth its weight in gold. We’ll start the bidding at ten million yen!”

Such was the value of a human life. And the people in the audience seemed willing to pay it. Goro had no idea what a ‘slay-vega’ was, and couldn’t see much because of the stage lights, but the man at the podium was calling out ever-increasing bids. The total ticked higher, thousands of yen at a time, until finally a deep voice cut through the clamor.

_“One-hundred million yen.”_

A hush fell over the room, and Goro fought to keep his mouth from falling open. That was so much money. Far more than anyone else had bid so far. People started muttering among themselves, and even the auctioneer seemed shocked. He feebly tried to ask if there were any further bids, but no one responded, and eventually Goro was declared ‘sold.’

“Sir, you’re meant to go backstage to pick up your purchase…” the auctioneer said, and Goro took a step back as he saw the man ascending the steps. He was at least seven feet tall, towering a full foot over Goro, wearing sweeping black robes trimmed in red. His eyes were a piercing, shifting mirage of gold and silver, and golden horns curved from beneath his curly black hair. His gaze fell on Goro, and he smiled, revealing canines just slightly sharper than they should be.

Within a moment, he’d crossed the stage and hooked a finger into the chains Goro wore, forcing him to look up at him. “Yes, you’ll do.”

Goro just stared at him. Was he even human?

The auctioneer ushered both of them off the stage, and Sae appeared from the wings, looking frazzled. “Akechi-kun!” she called, equally surprised at the sight of the tall man. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he said quietly.

She put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away from the man. “You have to sign the paperwork and pay. He’s not yours formally until you do,” she said firmly, and it was clear in her voice that she was being protective.

“I understand,” the man said. “Bring out the paperwork, then.”

Sae didn’t display her suspicions outwardly, but she kept Goro close as they went back to one of the offices, and she read over all of the paperwork meticulously. But once the man had signed his name, her eyes widened. “The Trickster Mage? I didn’t think you came out in public.”

“I prefer my solitude,” the mage said with a smirk. “But I heard there was something interesting up for auction today. Has everything been sorted out? I really would like to be going.”

Unable to find anything untoward in the contract, Sae nodded. In a rare moment of softness, she gave Goro a hug. “You know how to contact me,” she told him. “And I’ll find a way to check in on you.”

“I’ll be fine, Sae-san,” Goro said quietly. He didn’t want to speak any louder, worried that his voice would crack. The auctioneer had implied that he was valuable, had called him ‘untouched’... He was afraid of what that meant, deep down. But he looked up at his new owner determinedly. “I’m ready to go, sir.”

The mage picked up the lead attached to Goro’s chains and gave it a gentle tug. “Very good. I was hoping to be home before dinner.” He led Goro from the room, giving him just enough time to take one last look at Sae before they were heading into the darker corridors that made up the back halls of the auction house.

“What is your name?” the mage asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Goro Akechi.”

“My name is Akira Kurusu. I ask that you call me Akira, since we’ll be living together from today on.” The mage stopped in a deserted corner, turning back to face Goro. With a flick of his finger, the chains and collar Goro was wearing shattered, and Goro rubbed his wrists with wide eyes.

“You’re...really magic. I knew that magic existed, but…”

Akira chuckled, stepping forward to wrap his arm around him. “Hold on to me. I’m going to take us home.”

“What?” But Goro grabbed handfuls of Akira’s robe, clutching tightly as the floor around them began to glow. Akira began to speak, though Goro only heard bits and pieces as he squeezed his eyes shut. There was a bright flash, visible even through his eyelids, and then the arm around him loosened and he was patted on the head.

“We’re here. You can let go now.”

When he opened his eyes, he gasped. The auction house in the city was gone. The _city_ was gone, replaced by rolling fields, distant mountains, forests, and a small, cozy-looking house. Goro stared openly, and finally managed, “Did… Did you bring us here with magic?”

“Yes,” Akira replied. “I prefer to live in a more remote area, where people are less inclined to bother me.” He waved Goro to follow him towards the house, adding, “Come, I’ll show you your room.”

That dragged Goro back to the reality of his situation, and he hesitated before going after Akira. “I… I was wondering what you expect of me, sir,” he said, trying not to sound nervous. “Why did you purchase me?”

“Because I thought you’d make a beautiful bride,” Akira said without missing a beat, unlocking the front door.

“Wh-What?” Goro chased him into the house. He barely saw the comfortable rooms they passed, too boggled by what Akira had said. “A bride?”

“Not right away, of course.” They might as well have been discussing the weather with how casual Akira seemed. “I want to give you time to get settled in and teach you a bit about your powers. The wedding can wait.” He opened a door at the end of a short hallway, standing aside so Goro could see. “This is your room. I’ll need to get you fresh sheets, but other than that, everything should be in order. We can go shopping tomorrow, if you want, so you can get some new clothes.”

Goro stared at the room, feeling like he couldn’t process what was happening. There was too much going on at once, too much that he didn’t understand. “N-New clothes? Wedding? _Powers_?” he managed to splutter. The hallway was closing in on him.

Akira tilted his head like a puzzled cat. “Do you not know what you are?”

“No!” Goro cried, stamping his foot. “I went to that auction assuming I’d end up as a servant. I have no idea what a ‘slay-vega’ is or what that means! I don’t know anything about magic except the bullshit hallucinations that have been following me around my whole life!” Like a switch had been flipped, his eyes suddenly widened, and he wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m...sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

To his great surprise, Akira laughed. “Don’t apologize for your honest feelings. It’s refreshing.” He patted Goro on the head. “A slay-vega is a person born with special magical abilities. You are capable of generating vast amounts of magical energy, as well as passively absorbing it from your surroundings. You also attract shadows, which are likely the ‘hallucinations’ you’ve been seeing. With instruction, you can learn to use that power for yourself. Most sorcerers, who draw on their physical energy to do magic instead of inborn magical energy, would love to have a slay-vega to take on the burden of generating power in their place.”

“I…” Goro began. “Is… Is that why you really bought me? To be some kind of...generator?”

Akira shook his head. “No, no. I’m a mage. I do magic with the magical energy I was born with. I bought you to keep you out of the hands of a sorcerer who would use you up until you burnt out. And to be my bride, of course.”

Goro took a very deep breath and let it out slowly. He could handle this. He was not going to freak out. “I can’t promise that I’ll agree to marry you,” he said. “But… I appreciate you purchasing me and giving me somewhere to live. And… I really would like to learn magic.”

“We’ll start the day after tomorrow,” Akira said. “I want you to take some time to rest and explore this place first, and like I said, we can go shopping. Anywhere on the property is fair game; just don’t go too far into the forest.”

“...what’s in the forest?” Goro asked.

“Shadows,” Akira replied with a fanged grin. “Probably much stronger ones than you’re used to attracting. I’d rather they not try to steal you away when I’ve just brought you home.”

 _Home_ , he said, like Goro was a normal housemate and not someone he’d spent a hundred million yen on. Goro took a step into ‘his’ room and looked around, then asked, “When you say ‘stronger’ shadows, do you mean bigger than the ones that have been following me around?”

“Depends on what kind have been following you around.”

“They’re both tall. As tall as you, if not bigger,” Goro explained. “One of them is really muscled, and he’s got… I don’t know, some kind of cape? And the other one is striped. That one likes to laugh at me.”

Akira hummed thoughtfully. “Sounds like you might have two greater shadows hanging around you. If they haven’t tried to hurt you so far, they’re probably not dangerous. But if they show up again, call me. I’d like to see.” He ruffled Goro’s hair again, affectionately. “I’m going to grab you some sheets and start dinner. Do you need anything else?”

“No…” Goro shook his head, and Akira nodded and headed back down the hall, leaving him to sit down on the edge of the bed and try to process.

It all seemed so unbelievable. Years of believing that he was cursed, only to have Akira call him ‘special’ instead? Selling himself at an auction, only to be purchased by someone who wanted to give him a home? Even with the strange marriage proposal, it seemed like too much good luck for someone like Goro.

But… Something good finally seemed to be happening to him. He was going to hold onto it as tightly as he could.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know the official English translation is “sleigh-beggy”. I recognize that the council has made a decision, and I have chosen to ignore it, partially because I knew slay-vega first, and partially because I just think sleigh-beggy sounds a bit ridiculous. X’D


End file.
